India's Defence Pacts and Strategic Alliances

Maldives Defence Minister in India to strengthen military ties
New Delhi, Feb 03: To further strengthen relationships between India and Maldives, Maldivian Defence and National Security Minister Ameen Faisal on Tuesday reached New Delhi to hold talks on military ties.
During the visit, Faisal is expected to hold discussions with the top political and military leadership of the country to facilitate policies of the new government in Maldives and strengthen military ties between the two countries, Defence Ministry officials said.
Faisal is expected to meet Defence Minister A K Antony, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan along with the three services chiefs.
He is accompanied by senior Maldivian National Defence and Police officers.
India has shared very strong military ties with Maldives. Indian armed forces thwarted an attempt by Tamil terrorists in 1987-88 to capture Maldives.
Recently, Indian armed forces have helped Maldives to enhance and build its capabilities as a partner in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS).
Indian Navy helps it to carry out surveillance near its maritime boundaries and survey its areas. India had also gifted a Fast Attack Craft 'Tilanchang' to Maldivian maritime forces. Indian navy also provides technical assistance for the upkeep and the maintenance of its vessels.

Mauritian delegation holds talks with Navy officials
New Delhi (PTI): To increase cooperation in the field of hydrography with India, a Mauritian delegation has held discussions with Navy officials at South Block here.
A four-member team led by Mauritian Permanent Secretary Asha Devi Burrenchobey is on a nine-day visit to India to participate in the fourth meeting of Joint Committee on Hydrography, Defence Ministry officials said on Tuesday.
The Mauritian team will now proceed to Dehradun for further talks with Chief Hydro Rear Admiral B R Rao where they will discuss various issues such as hydrographic survey requirements for 2009, Indian assistance to Mauritus for setting up Hydrographic Infrastructure, finalising protocol on sale of navigational charts at Mauritius and production of ENC.
India and Mauritius signed an MoU on hydrographic cooperation in 2005 during Mauritian Prime Minister's visit to India.
A joint committee on hydrography with members from both countries meets every year for planning, coordinating, monitoring, reviewing and facilitating cooperation.
In last three years, Indian Navy survey ships have completed many surveys and important charts have been published and handed over to Mauritius.
India has been providing on-job training to Mauritian personnel by embarking them on board Naval ships. The continental surveys on some areas helped the Mauritian government forward its continental shelf claim along with Seychelles, officials said.

Ukraine, India Headed for Defense Cooperation Agreement
India’s domain-b business magazine reports that India and the Ukraine have agreed to frame an inter-governmental commission on military technical cooperation, after talks at AeroIndia 2009 in Bangalore. The result would be a broad set of umbrella agreements that would define key requirements like security, technology transfer, and support, opening the way to defense projects with Ukrainian firms. India already has a framework of this type in place with Russia, is reportedly negotiating one with France, and arguably needs one with the United States.
The Ukraine has a substantial defense industry left as a legacy from the Soviet Union, and some products like the BTR-3E1/3U have become export successes. India is certainly aware of the T-80UD “Al-Khalid” tank developed for Pakistan, whose rapid and successful fielding resulted in a rush effort to add T-90S tanks to the Indian Army’s fleet. The Ukraine needs more of those orders in order to modernize and maintain its defense industrial base, which is vital to the country’s continued security.
India has a different problem, which it shares with the Ukraine: sets of Soviet/Russian-made equipment that must be maintained and upgraded, despite poor cooperation from Russian firms. Reports indicate that Ukrainian expertise will be sought for programs aimed at modernizing Indian armor, MiG, Antonov, Tupolev and Ilyushin aircraft; and Mil and Kamov helicopters. Missiles, radars, and weapons cooperation are also reportedly under discussion.
It’s worthy of note that all of these potential areas are also areas of Israeli expertise, and Israeli cooperation with India has grown apace on that basis. What Israel lacks, and the Ukraine offers, is original manufacturing capabilities for Russian equipment designs, and for many of the associated parts that would be used as spares

New Delhi, Feb 24 (ANI): To enhance growing defence cooperation between India and Indonesia, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor is on a four day goodwill visit to that country from today.

During his visit, General Kapoor will interact with Indonesias defence and army officials and visit their important training establishments.

The visit assumes special significance in the light of enhanced defence cooperation in consonance with Indias Look East Policy and growing relationship with ASEAN.

Indonesia and India share a very special and important relationship. The friendship between the two countries is based on common ideals and principles, arising from a significant legacy of historical links.

To provide a structured defence cooperation mechanism between the two countries a Defence Cooperation Agreement was signed in Dec 06.

Military-to-military cooperation between the Indonesian and Indian armed forces encompasses exchange of high and medium level visits, availing of training courses in each others training institutions, witnessing of designated exercises by military observers from both sides, mutual attendance in seminars, conferences and basic naval exercises. (ANI)

Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Washington (PTI): The level of military engagement between India and the United States at present was unthinkable in the mid-80s, a top US military official has said.

Commander of the US Pacific Command Admiral Timothy Keating, who returned from a trip to India a few weeks ago, said the Indian government is more willing to talk about engagement and partnership with the United States than they were in the mid-'80s.

"They are exercising with us on a much more robust basis -- we just concluded a trilateral exercise; unthinkable in the '80s -- Japan, United States and India in the Sea of Japan," Keating said at a meeting of the Atlantic Council, a US think-tank.

"It was a fairly spirited, high-end technical exercise, he said, adding, "we weren't just doing division tactics; we were exercising weapons and techniques and procedures that are pretty high-end".

New Delhi (PTI) The Government has signed a pact with Ukraine to upgrade Indian Air Force's fleet of An-32 transport aircraft, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said on Monday.

"A contract for upgradation of An-32 aircraft has been signed with State Foreign Trade Enterprise 'Spetstechnoexport' (STE), Ukraine on June 15, 2009 for total technical life extension (TTLE), overhaul and re-equipment of the aircraft in IAF fleet," Mr. Antony said while replying to a Lok Sabha query.

The Minister said that the upgrades will enhance IAF's An-32 fleet's life by another 15 years.

"The calendar life of An-32 aircraft will be enhanced from 25 years to 40 years," he said.

He added that the aircraft will be upgraded between 2009-17 and USD 397.7 million would be spent on the process.

The IAF has a fleet of around 100 An-32s, which were procured from the erstwhile Soviet Union in the 80s.

Meanwhile, replying to another question, Mr. Antony said that the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has approved a new campus for its management academy in Bangalore.

NEW DELHI, July 30 (Reuters) - U.S.-based Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) says it will speed up delivery of six C-130J military planes to India and is negotiating for sale of six more in a deal potentially worth $1.1 billion, a senior official said.

Lockheed, one of the world's largest defence companies, last year sold six C-130J military transport planes for about $1.1 billion, India's biggest arms deal ever with the United States.

"We will start delivering the planes from the first quarter of 2011 and work is speeding at the moment to meet deadlines," Jack Giese, a senior manager at Lockheed Martin, told Reuters on Thursday.

"The current agreement with the Indian Air Force for six C-130J aircraft has an option for another six and we are holding talks at the moment."

A defence pact agreed with the U.S. last week allowing U.S. inspectors to check all defence equipment sold to India periodically, has paved the way for companies like Lockheed to eye the growing Indian defence market.

India is one of the world's biggest arms importers, and its government plans to spend more than $30 billion over the next five years to upgrade its largely Soviet-era arsenal to counter potential threats from Pakistan and China.

Lockheed is aiming for deals with India worth $15 billion in the next five years and is focusing on winning contracts for fighter aircraft, military transport aircraft, naval helicopters and missiles. [ID:nDEL425131]

Lockheed and Boeing (BA.N) are two big U.S. companies trying to enter the Indian market, but New Delhi's reluctance to sign the defence pact, allowing U.S. inspectors to examine defence equipment sold to other countries was delaying new deals.

"It is a landmark agreement and Lockheed is looking forward to a long-term partnership with India," Giese, who is visiting India, said referring to the pact signed last week.

Lockheed is also gearing up for field trials in August to win a $10.4 billion contract to supply 126 F-16 fighter aircraft to India [ID:nDEL462408].

Boeing's (BA.N) F/A-18 Super Hornet, France's Dassault Rafale, Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Saab (SAABb.ST) JAS-39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon, produced by a consortium of European companies, are the other companies in the race.

"We are very excited and ready since April for the trials to start and show what the F-16 can do," Giese added. (Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Sanjeev Miglani)

NEW DELHI
: Government today said the End User Monitoring (EUM) agreement with the United States enhances India's access to best technology to
meet its security requirements and does not dilute the country's defence policy.

"EUM in no way dilutes India's defence policy but rather enhances India's access to the best technology required to meet her security requirements," Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha query.

She said that India and US have agreed on a new standard EUM clause that will be included in Letters of Offer and Acceptance for acquisition of defence articles and equipment to be acquired by Government of India from US Government.

"No blanket agreement has been signed," she said. The minister said that as per the agreed formulation, the US will have to consult India before relevant equipment is made available for verification at an agreed date, time and place.

During US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India from July 17-21, India had agreed on a new standard EUM with the US.

ASHGABAT - India and Turkmenistan on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a programme of cooperation.

The bilateral agreement was signed after delegation-level talks between visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna and his Turkmenistan counterpart Rashid Meredov

Both Krishna and Meredov signed the MOU.

Krishna also called on the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Malikgulievich Berdimuhamedov, during which he offered India’s assistance to Turkmenistan in the hydrocarbon sector by way of using the expertise of Indian companies in the sector.

President Berdimuhamedov indicated that India should tap its gas resources through Iran as it can be a good alternative without waiting for the much awaited TAPI gas pipeline project (Tuekmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India). Krishna accepted the idea and promised to work on it more seriously.

India gives high priority to the gas pipeline to meet its energy requirements and is keen to have such ties with Turkmenistan.

New Delhi: Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday said India was building its defence capabilities just as China did.

"Just as what China is doing, we are also trying to strengthen our capabilities," Antony told reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of a defence accounts event.

In the last few years, government was bolstering the infrastructure and capabilities of the three forces. "Earlier we were not doing anything," he said.

Antony said in spite of "occasional troubles", the Sino-Indian border was peaceful and India wanted to resolve its issues with Beijing only through negotiations.

"We must try to understand that in spite of occasional troubles here and there, by and large the Indo-China border is peaceful," he said when asked about the increase in Chinese incursions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Antony added that India's policy was to "find a solution (for its issues with China) through negotiations and on the same hand, we have increased our effective deterrent strength."

Asked about the gap between military expenditure of the two countries, Antony said it is not a question of comparing their military expenditure with ours. Whatever is needed to strengthen our armed forces we are doing that".

Mentioning the steps taken to strengthen India's deterrent capabilities in the recent past, he said: "we are strengthening our Army, Air Force, airfields, roads and infrastructure".

Questioned about the long-pending border issues with Beijing, he said, "Of course, the border issues are long pending. After many rounds of negotiations, nothing is settled yet. But, our policy is to continue the dialogue and we are trying to settle the issue through dialogue to the satisfaction of our people."

"But the last round of talks with China ended on an optimistic note," Antony said. Commenting on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Antony said, "he went there on a political visit to release the Congress manifesto."

On the problems faced by the IAF in training its cadets after the grounding of its fleet of HPT-32 basic trainer aircraft, he said, "whatever is the air force requirement, we have decided to fulfil that."

Listing the highlights of his visit to Russia later this month, he said , "the main agenda would be that the (Intergovernmental Military Cooperation) agreement that is operational for the last 10 years and will end in 2010. We are discussing to extend that agreement by another 10 years."

NEW DELHI: The US might be the new kid on the block, with Israel and France already well-entrenched, but India is keen to keep its long-standing
military ties with Russia on the right track despite glitches, time and cost-overruns in defence deals.

India and Russia will extend their `strategic and military partnership' by another 10 years when PM Manmohan Singh holds a summit meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow this December.

The groundwork for inking of the fresh inter-governmental agreement on military-technical cooperation, to extend the partnership right till 2020, will be laid when defence minister A K Antony visits Moscow next week for talks with his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov.

Russia will remain India's largest defence supplier for some time to come, with ongoing arms contracts and projects in the pipeline worth well over a whopping $15 billion.

The relationship will only head further north since India has shown interest in acquiring more Russian military hardware and software. This, for instance, includes 50 more Sukhoi-30MKIs to add to 230 of these `air dominance' fighters already contracted for over $8.5 billion, as also an additional 29 MiG-29Ks for $1.12 billion after the first 16 of these maritime jets were bought for aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov.

Then, of course, there are three crucial joint R&D projects. One, the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), whose overall development costs are pegged by Russia to be around $8-10 billion.

"During the October 14-15 meeting, Antony will emphasis India's interest in ensuring FGFA's development is completed by 2016 and IAF can begin inducting it by 2017,'' said an official.

Two, the $600 million multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) project, under which India will induct an initial 45 planes, while Russia will get 100 and another 60 will be sold to other countries. "An MTA joint venture company between Hindustan Aeronautics and Ilyushin will be established soon,'' he said.

And three, development of 290-km-range `hypersonic' BrahMos-2 cruise missiles (5 to 7 Mach speed) after the successful development of its `supersonic' (2.8 Mach) version. Incidentally, work is also in progress now to integrate BrahMos-1 missiles on Sukhoi-30MKIs.

All, of course, is not hunky dory in the expansive Indo-Russian military relationship. With the Soviet-era `friendship prices' having vanished into oblivion, Russia now demands -- and often gets -- top dollar from India.

Fierce wrangling over the huge escalation in Gorshkov's refit cost has been there for all to see. India is now likely to pay a staggering $2.6 billion to get the 44,570-tonne carrier by 2012-2013.

Under the original $1.5 billion package deal signed in January 2004, India was to get Gorshkov by August 2008 for $974 million, with the rest earmarked for 16 MiG-29Ks.

India remains worried about Russia not sticking to delivery schedules, creating roadblocks in technology transfer, jacking up costs midway through execution of agreements and failing to provide proper product support.

India, of course, realises only Russia will be ready to supply it with some `sensitive' stuff. Sometime early next year, for instance, India will get the K-152 Nerpa Akula-II nuclear-powered submarine from Russia on a 10-year lease as part of a secretive 2004 deal.

India on Monday rolled out the red carpet for visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she began the official leg of her four-day visit during which the two neighbours will sign five agreements, including three security related pacts.

Sheikh Hasina, who is on her first visit to India after assuming power last year, was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning. The Bangladesh leader later called on President Pratibha Patil and discussed a host of bilateral and regional issues.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold talks with the visiting Bangladesh leader later in the day. The two sides are set to usher in a new chapter in their bilateral ties by signing five pacts in areas ranging from security to power and culture after the talks.

Mr. Singh will host a state banquet in her honour.

The two leaders will discuss sharing of river waters, the resolution of the maritime border dispute and the promotion of bilateral trade and connectivity.

The two sides are set to expand their security and counter-terror cooperation by inking treaties on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, mutual transfer of convicted prisoners, and cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, organised crime and illegal drug trafficking.

The three security-related pacts will help New Delhi to press for the extradition of suspected insurgents who have taken shelter in Bangladeshi territory. The prisoner exchange deal is expected to formalise the extradition process between the two countries.

Besides signing accords on power cooperation and a cultural exchange programme, India is set to announce a $500 million line of credit to promote infrastructure development in Bangladesh and a decision to facilitate a rail transit link from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan.

Ms. Hasina will be conferred the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on Tuesday.

Minutes before Ms. Hasina arrived on a four-day trip on Sunday, India struck an optimist note saying her visit “promises to be a path-breaking one and gives both countries a historic opportunity to build a new and forward looking relationship”.

Underlining a new trust and optimism in bilateral ties that had drifted under the previous Khaleda Zia dispensation, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had said: “India is committed to working with the government of Bangladesh to build on our historical and traditionally close links and open new vistas in our bilateral relations.”

Defence Minister A K Antony on his first ever visit to Oman on May 18-19.
Coming up are more international visits of the Minister in the coming two months, which include, the Shangri La dialogue, Russia and Israel. Air Chief, P V Naik, will visit France shortly, followed by the Defence Secretary's visit to France, later. A delegation is slated for Iran too.

Dodging a visit to Israel despite repeated invitations, defence minister A.K. Antony has now asked a high-level military delegation led by the defence secretary to balance a trip to Tel Aviv with another to Tehran.Antony himself has chosen the non-controversial shores of Oman, which he is scheduled to visit on May 18-19.

Defence secretary Pradeep Kumar is set to lead successive delegations to Israel and Iran later this month. The visit to Tel Aviv was a given because of the robust defence relations between India and Israel that both countries keep under wraps as far as possible. But significantly, Antony himself is not scheduling a visit, though it is long overdue on reciprocal terms â€” the last trip was by the Israeli defence minister.

The visit to Iran, probably the first at such a high level from the defence establishment in five years, is expected to counter-balance the criticism that Antony faces at home because of the ties with Israel.
The little revival in India-Iran military ties on a steady downslide since New Delhi voted against Tehran twice at the International Atomic Energy Agency will be taking place at a time India is pondering the future

of its involvement in Afghanistan since President Barack Obama signalled that the US was in exit mode.
Antony has put off his Israel visit twice. New Delhi had also urged Tel Aviv to defer a second consecutive visit by the Israeli defence minister (Ehud Barak) in 2008. Antony has a record of being touchy about the Leftâ€™s questioning of Indiaâ€™s intense defence relations with Israel â€” which is now its second-largest supplier of military hardware after Russia. But the visit to Iran â€” Israel and Iran are foes â€” is likely to offset such doubts because it would allow the government to argue that it is pursuing a policy of multilateral initiatives.

It is likely that the defence secretaryâ€™s delegation to Iran will include a team from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The BRO completed a 217km highway between Zaranj and Delaram in Afghanistan in 2008. But for a short stretch, the road can connect the Iranian port of Chabahar â€” through which the BRO shipped most of its equipment â€” to the â€œGarlandâ€ Highway that connects major cities in Afghanistan and is a potential land route for Indian personnel and equipment to central Asian countries.

India and Iran had strong military relations till 2005. Both countries use largely Soviet/Russian-origin hardware. In the 1980s and the 1990s, the Indian military helped refurbish the Iran armyâ€™s T-72 tanks (which it also uses) and Indian naval bases serviced Iranâ€™s Kilo-class submarines (that are also in the Indian Navyâ€™s fleet).

In 2002, a BRO team had visited Iran for a feasibility study on building bridges near the port of Chabahar. But since five Iranian sailors were accepted for a training course in the Indian Navy in 2007, there has been practically no military exchange between the two nations even as the US rhetoric against Iranâ€™s nuclear capabilities rose in pitch and tenor.

Iranâ€™s foreign minister, Manouchehr Moutaki, visited India in November last year. In contrast, successive Israeli military delegations have been coming to India at the rate of one every two months and in December last year even two in one month. Israel also has joint projects with the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation to make short-range and medium-range missiles.

New Delhi: Defence Minister AK Antony Monday embarked on a two-day visit to Oman where the two sides will discuss maritime security issues, including piracy in the Gulf of Aden and terrorism. During his stay in Muscat, Antony will meet Omani Defence Minister Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi and the two sides would finalise areas of co-operation and military-to-military relationship, Defence Ministry officials said here. The minister is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

Antony would also hold discussions with the top leadership of the Sultanate of Oman and meet the Indian community members working there. India and Oman share a vibrant military cooperation. In October last year, Jaguar fighter jet of the Indian Air Force flew to Oman to participate in the first joint air exercise with the Royal Air Force of Oman. The Gulf country has also shown a keen interest in buying India's indigenous infantry rifle, the INSAS, for which trials are currently in progress. Following the signing of a protocol agreement on military relations between India and Oman in 1972, the last decade has seen strengthening of military relations between the two countries. At present, there exists a two-tier arrangement for defence cooperation -- a Joint Military Cooperation Commission and Air Force-to-Air Force Staff talks -- between India and Oman

Photo-1: Defence Minister AK Antony inspecting a Guard of Honour presented by the Royal Oman Armed Forces in Muscat on May 18. To the extreme left is the Defence Minister of Oman Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi. Photo-2: The Defence Minister of Oman presenting a ceremonial Khanjar to Antony.

Taking their defence cooperation a step higher, India and Oman have agreed to accelerate their cooperation in maritime security and regional security issues. The decisions were taken at the bilateral discussions between the visiting Defence Minister Shri AK Antony and his Oman counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi at Muscat today. This is the first ever visit of Shri Antony to West Asia. Speaking at the meeting, he said maritime security is one of the issues that are causing concern to countries around the world. Shri Antony said, after the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, issues of maritime security have emerged as a major aspect of Indiaâ€™s security concerns. â€˜Maritime security has also become a global concern due to the pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden. Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been growing over the years and has now assumed alarming proportionsâ€™, he said.
Giving details of the measures taken by New Delhi, Shri Antony said, to protect Indian flag ships and Indian citizens employed in sea- faring duties, Indian Navy had commenced anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden from October 2008. A total of 16 Indian navy ships have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden since. In addition to escorting Indian flag ships, ships of other flags have also been escorted. â€˜ We are cooperating with other navies deployed in this area by way of information sharing and have been participating in the Shared Awareness and De-Cofliction (SHADE) Meetings since April 2009â€™, he said.
The two sides also discussed a number of issues- bilateral and regional. Referring to Afghanistan, Shri Antony said, â€˜ we have a common aim in Afghanistan and that is to ensure that it does not become a base of safe haven for terrorists again. We want a stable, moderate, unified and democratic Afghanistanâ€™. He said New delhisâ€™ efforts in Afghanistan are focussed on economic and social development activities. â€˜ We intend to continue such activities even though we have lost personnel and have suffered attacks on our embassy in Kabulâ€™.
Shri Antony expressed satisfaction at the existing defence cooperation between the two countries which is characterised by high level visit exchanges, training, regular bilateral exercises between the two navies and ship visits. In this connection, he recalled the first ever air exercise â€˜Eastern Bridgeâ€™ in October 2009. Royal Air Force of Oman pilots have attended the Jaguar Simulator training in India in the past and similar training is planned this year also. â€˜We have laid the foundation and should now work towards adding more content to our defence cooperationâ€™, he said.
Shri Antony invited his counterpart to attend Aero-India in February 2011. The delegation of Shri Antony included the defence secretary Shri Pradeep Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Oman Shri Anil Wadhwa, CISC Air Marshal SC Mukul, DGMF Lt Gen Dalip Bhardwaj, Air Marshal A Raha and Rear Admiral LVS Babu.
Shri Antony also called on the Sultan of Oman who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and the Prime Minister of the country, Qaboos bin Said bin Thaimour Al Said.
Last evening, shortly after his arrival in Muscat, Shri Antony attended a dinner hosted for prominent members of Indian Community by the Ambassador. Oman is now home to nearly half a million expatriate Indians. Speaking at the function, Shri Antony said his visit will consolidate further the existing ties between India and Oman. He said India will expand its cooperation with Oman in all fields.
Answering a query from the audience, Shri Antony said the desire of the Indian Army to induct 124 more MBT Arjun in its armoury was its own after the comparative trials. He expressed happiness that after many years MBT has become a reality and said â€˜it has come of ageâ€™. DGMF Lt Gen Dalip Bhardwaj, who was also at the reception, endorsed the views of Shri Antony.